Chapter 3 (Perception) Flashcards
Action pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the parietal lobe, that is associated with neural processing that occurs when people take action. Corresponds to the where pathway.
Apparent movement
An illusion of movement perception occurs when stimuli in different locations are flashed one after another with proper timing.
Bayesian interference
The idea that our estimates of the probability of an outcome is determined by the prior probability (our initial belief) and the likelihood (the extent to which the available evidence is consistent with the outcome).
Bottom-up processing
Processing that starts with information received by the receptors. This type of processing is also called data-based processing.
Brian ablation
A procedure in which a specific area is removed from an animal’s brain. It is usually done to determine the function of this area by assessing the effect on the animal’s behaviour.
Direct pathway model
Model of pain perception that proposes that pain signals are sent directly from receptors to the brain.
Experience-dependent plasticity
A mechanism that causes an organism’s neurons to develop so they respond best to the type of stimulation to which the organism has been exposed.
Gestalt psychologists
A group of psychologists who proposed principles governing perception, such as laws of organisation, and perceptual approach to problem solving involving restructuring.
Principle of good continuation
Law of perceptual organisation stating that points that, when connected, result in straight or smoothly curving lines are seen as belonging together. In addition, lines tend to be seen as following the smoothest path.
Principle of good figure
See law of pragnanz.
Inverse projection problem
Task of determining the object that caused a particular image on the retina.
Landmark discrimination problem
Problem in which the task is to remember an object’s location and to choose that location after a delay. Associated with research on the where processing stream.
Light-from-above assumption
The assumption that light is coming from above. This is a heuristic that can influence how we perceive three-dimensional objects that are illuminated.
Likelihood
In Bayesian interference, the extent to which the available evidence is consistent with the outcome.
Likelihood principle
Part of Helmholtz’s theory of unconscious inference that states that we perceive the object that is most likely to have caused the pattern of stimuli we have received.
Object discrimination problem
A problem in which that task is to remember an object based on its shape and choose it when presented with another object after a delay. Associated with research on the what processing stream.
Oblique effect
The finding that vertical and horizontal orientations can be perceived more easily that other (slanted) orientations.
Perception
Conscious experience that results from stimulation of the senses.
Perception pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the temporal lobe, that is associated with perceiving or recognising objects. Corresponds to the what pathway.
The principle of perceptual organisation
Rules proposed by the gestalt psychologists to explain how small elements of a scene or a display become perceptually grouped to form larger units. These ‘laws’ are described as ‘heuristics’ in this book.
Physical regularities
Regularly occurring physical properties of the environment. For example, there are more vertical and horizontal orientations in the environment than oblique (angled) orientations.
Placebo
A pill or procedure that patients believe delivers active ingredients (usually pain killers), but which contains no active ingredient.
Placebo effect
Decrease in pain from a procedure or substance that delivers no active ingredient.
Law of pragnanz
Law of perceptual organisation that states that every stimulus pattern is seen in such a way that the resulting structure is as simple as possible. Also called the law of good figure and the law of simplicity.
Prior
A person’s initial belief about the probability of an outcome.
Prior probability
The same as prior
Regularities of the environment
Characteristics of the environment that occur frequently. For example, blue is associated with open sky, landscapes are often green and smooth, and verticals and horizontals are often associated with buildings.
Scene schema
A person’s knowledge about what is likely to be contained in a particular scene. This knowledge can help guide attention to different areas of the scene. E.g. knowledge of what is usually in an office may cause a person to look towards the desk to see the pc.
Semantic regularities
Characteristic associated with the functions carried out in different types of scenes. E.g. food prep, cooking, and eating occur in a kitchen.
Principle of similarity
Law of perceptual organisation that states that similar things appear to be grouped together.
Principle of simplicity
Same as law of pragnanz.
Speech segmentation
The process of perceiving individual words within the continuous flow of the speech signal.
Theory of natural selection
Darwin’s theory that characteristics that enhance an animal’s ability to survive and reproduce will be passed on to future generations.
Top-down processing
Processing that involves a person’s knowledge or expectations. This type of processing has also been called knowledge-based processing.
Unconscious inference
Helmholtz’s idea that some of our perceptions are the result of unconscious assumptions that we make about the environment. See also likelihood principle.
Viewpoint invariance
The ability to recognise an object seen from different viewpoints.
What pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the temporal lobe, that is associated with perceiving or recognising objects. Corresponds to the perception pathway.
Where pathway
Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the parietal lobe, that is associated with neural processing that occurs when people locate objects in space. Roughly corresponds to the action pathway.
